Jessica Willingham, Montgomery County Communication Assistant, tries to navigate a shopping cart through a maze while wearing Drunk Goggles at the Upper Merion Wegman's Friday February 1, 2013. The event, sponsored by the Montgomery County Health Department and PennDot,, The Montgomery County Sheriff's Dept., and the Upper Merion Police, is designed to raise awareness of not drinking and driving during the Super Bowl Weekend. Photo by Gene Walsh / Times Herald Staff

UPPER MERION — At times, we need reminders, says the county sheriff and officials from the health department and PennDOT, when it comes to responsible driving around joyous occasions.

By some standards, one of those joyous occasions is Super Bowl Sunday — a day often typified by heaping platters of Buffalo wings and bottomless kegs of beer to wash them down.

In anticipation of this, PennDOT, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Upper Merion Township police and the Montgomery County Health Department held an impaired driving awareness event at Wegman’s supermarket in King of Prussia Friday morning.

Cpl. Robert Baer of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department said most people know not to drink and drive, but sometimes they just need a reminder around celebratory days of the year, such as St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday.

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Baer said arrests for DUI spike two to three times on Super Bowl Sunday and the public should be aware police will be out in full force and around the clock, keeping the roadways safe. Wegman’s employees were handing out various bubbly (and still) alternatives to alcohol beverages Friday, as a suggestion to those planning to drive on Sunday.

“If someone is a designated driver, it gives them something else to drink, rather than alcohol,” said Baer.

“Get a designated driver and have this worked out in advance. So, at least everybody can make it home alive, and that’s the important part.”

To drive the message home, members of the public were invited to participate in the “impaired driving shopping cart challenge.”

Donning police-issued “drunk goggles,” participants attempted to navigate a shopping cart through a designated obstacle course to simulate highly impaired driving to a sober eye. The goggles depicted the vision of someone having a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .25, more than three times the legal limit.

“Super Bowl Sunday tends to be a popular holiday, with people getting together to have parties and consume a couple drinks,” said Charlie Metzger, a spokesman for PennDOT.

“The idea here is to offer alternatives to alcoholic beverages. You don’t have to get inebriated to have a good time. In addition to the food, throw in some water or some other beverages to lower the alcohol intake and make sure you don’t drive drunk or impaired.”

According to PennDOT statistics, there were 214 crashes in Pennsylvania during last year’s Super Bowl, which resulted in the deaths of two people. Of those crashes, 51 were alcohol-related.

Some tips for hosts and party attendees on Sunday — make sure guests designate sober drivers before kickoff, reward designated drivers with a coveted seat to watch the game, keep their non-alcoholic drinks always full, offer them a prime parking spot and serve plenty of food.